It\\"s the Rio Grande Valley Whitewings (again)

For this area, it is back to the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings - including the original WhiteWings logo.

Last year, the then-owners of the United League Baseball changed the name from the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings to the Harlingen WhiteWings and also changed the logo.

But the now-owners and the founders of the ULB, and also founders of the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings back in 1994, believe that is the proper name for the club.

"We are based in Harlingen and are very proud to be a member of the community," said ULB President Byron Pierce. "But, we are also part of a larger community, one that involves this entire region, including San Benito, Santa Rosa, Rio Hondo, La Feria, Los Fresnos, Mercedes, Raymondville, Brownsville and all the other communities in this area," Pierce said.

"We are also going back to the original logo that the WhiteWings began with in 1994," Pierce said. "Many of the WhiteWings fans did not like the new logo and really did like the original one that had served the ball club for all these years."

This is the second name change Pierce and ULB Chief Executive Officer John Bryant have made, although perhaps not quite as dramatic as the other one. The name of the Edinburg club last week was changed back to its original name of the Roadrunners.

Pierce and Bryant founded the Texas-Louisiana Baseball League in 1994 and the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings was one of the original clubs. They sold their interest in the league in 2000 and the name was changed to the Central League in 2001.

The owners of that league closed down the Harlingen operation in 2004.

In 2006, Pierce and Bryant, a former U.S. congressman from Dallas, founded the United League. They left the league following disagreements with the major owners.

However, after those owners filed for bankruptcy, Pierce and Bryant were able to purchase the league, leading up to the opening games on June 11.

The season\'s opening games are the Coastal Bend Thunder at the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings; the Laredo Broncos at the Edinburg Roadrunners; and the Amarillo Dillas at the San Angelo Colts.